Reproduction device

1. A reproduction apparatus comprising: a signal reading section for reading a signal recorded on magnetic tape, the signal including a digital signal and an analog signal; a control signal reading section for reading a control signal recorded on the magnetic tape and including information representing a time mode indicating a run speed of the magnetic tape; a first determination section for determining the time mode based on an output of the control signal reading section; and a second determination section for determining whether the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal or an analog signal after the time mode is determined by the first determination section, wherein the magnetic tape is run in the time mode determined by said first determination section, and a digital/analog determination is made based on a reproduced signal from one pair of magnetic heads.

2. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising an unrecorded mode determination section for determining whether or not the signal is recorded on the magnetic tape based on the output of the control signal reading section, wherein the output indicates whether or not the control signal is detected.

3. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second determination section includes a digital signal detection section for outputting a digital signal detection signal when detecting that the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal.

4. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the digital signal detection section keeps operating regardless of whether the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal or an analog signal.

5. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second determination section includes an analog signal detection suction for outputting an analog signal detection signal when detecting that the signal read by the signal reading section is an analog signal.

6. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the analog signal detection section keeps operating regardless of whether the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal or an analog signal.

7. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second determination section includes: a digital signal detection section for outputting a digital signal detection signal when detecting that the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal; and an analog signal detection section for outputting an analog signal detection signal when detecting that the signal read by the signal reading section is an analog signal.

8. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic tape includes a digital signal recorded region in which the digital signal is recorded, and at least one region of an analog signal recorded region in which the analog signal is recorded and an unrecorded region in which the signal is not recorded, the control signal including information representing only one time mode for the digital signal, and the second determination section determines, when a region read by the control signal reading section proceeds from a first region to a second region, whether or not the signal read by the signal reading section is the analog signal based on the control signal read in the second region, the first region being the digital signal recorded region and the second region being different from the first region.

9. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic tape includes a digital signal recorded region in which the digital signal is recorded, and at least one region of an analog signal recorded region in which the analog signal is recorded and an unrecorded region in which the signal is not recorded, the control signal including information representing only one time mode for the analog signal, and the second determination section determines, when a region read by the control signal reading section proceeds from a first region to a second region, whether or not the signal read by the signal reading section is the digital signal based on the control signal read in the second region, the first region being the analog signal recorded region and the second region being different from the first region.

10. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control signal includes exclusive time mode information indicating a time mode for reproducing either the digital signal or the analog signal; the first determination section outputs the time mode information to the second determination section; and the second determination section determines whether the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal or an analog signal based on the exclusive time mode information when the time mode information received from the first determination section is the exclusive time mode information.

11. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the digital signal detection section includes: an error correction code decoding section for decoding an error correction code of the signal read by the signal reading section and outputting an error flag indicating a read error; and an error flag detection section for outputting the digital signal detection signal when detecting that the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal according to the error flag.

12. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the digital signal detection section includes: a channel decoding section for decoding the signal read by the signal reading section and outputting a decoded signal; and a synchronization signal detection section for outputting the digital signal detection signal when detecting that the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal by detecting a synchronization signal included in the decoded signal.

13. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the analog signal detection section outputs the analog signal detection signal by detecting a level of a reproduction envelope of the signal read by the signal reading section.

14. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the analog signal detection section includes an analog video signal detection section for outputting the analog signal detection signal when detecting that the signal read by the signal reading section is an analog video signal.

15. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the analog video signal detection section outputs the analog signal detection signal by detecting a level of an envelope of the signal read by the signal reading section in the case where the signal is the analog video signal.

16. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the analog signal detection section includes an analog audio signal detection section for outputting the analog signal detection signal when detecting that the signal read by the signal reading section is an analog audio signal.

17. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the analog audio signal detection section outputs the analog signal detection signal by detecting a level of an envelope of the signal read by the signal reading section in the case where the signal is the analog audio signal.

18. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the analog signal includes an analog video signal and an analog audio signal, and the signal reading section includes a first magnetic head for reading the analog video signal, a second magnetic head for reading the analog audio signal, and a third magnetic head for reading the digital signal, the second magnetic head and the third magnetic head being the same magnetic head.

19. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal reading section includes a plurality of magnetic heads having different gap widths for reading the signal corresponding to the respective ones of the plurality of time modes, and the second determination section determines whether the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal or an analog signal based on the signal which is read by one of the plurality of magnetic heads having the largest gap width.

20. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic tape includes a first signal recorded region in which the signal is recorded, an unrecorded region in which the signal is not recorded, and a second signal recorded region, the unrecorded region adjoining the first signal recorded region and the second signal recorded region adjoining the unrecorded region, wherein the reproduction apparatus further comprises a reproduction mode memory section for storing a result of reproduction mode determination by the second determination section as to whether the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal or an analog signal, the unrecorded mode determination section outputting a result of determination as to whether the signal is recorded on the recording medium to the second determination section, and wherein the second determination section stores the result of the reproduction mode determination in the reproduction mode memory section when the signal reading section reads the signal in the first signal recorded region and the result output from the unrecorded mode determination section indicates that the signal is recorded on the recording medium; the second determination section retains without updating the result of the reproduction mode determination stored in the reproduction mode memory section when a region read by the signal reading section proceeds from the first signal recorded region to the unrecorded region and the result output from the unrecorded mode determination section indicates that the signal is not recorded on the recording medium; and the second determination section determines whether the signal read from the second signal recorded region is in a reproduction mode identical to the result of the reproduction mode determination stored in the reproduction mode memory section when the region read by the signal reading section proceeds from the unrecorded region to the second signal recorded region and the result output from the unrecorded mode determination section indicates that the signal is recorded on the recording medium.

21. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the magnetic tape includes a first signal recorded region in which the signal is recorded, an unrecorded region in which the signal is not recorded, and a second signal recorded region, the unrecorded region adjoining the first signal recorded region and the second signal recorded region adjoining the unrecorded region, wherein the reproduction apparatus further comprises a time mode memory section for storing a result of the time mode determination by the first determination section, the unrecorded mode determination section outputting the result of determination as to whether the signal is recorded on the recording medium to the first determination section, and wherein the first determination section stores the result of the time mode determination in the time mode memory section when the signal reading section reads the signal in the first signal recorded region and the result output from the unrecorded mode determination section indicates that the signal is recorded on the recording medium; the first determination section retains without updating the result of the time mode determination stored in the time mode memory section when a region read by the signal reading section proceeds from the first signal recorded region to the unrecorded region and the result output from the unrecorded mode determination section indicates that the signal is not recorded on the recording medium; and the first determination section determines whether the signal read from the second signal recorded region is in a time mode identical to the result of the time mode determination stored in the time mode memory section when the region read by the signal reading section proceeds from the unrecorded region to the second signal recorded region and the result output from the unrecorded mode determination section indicates that the signal is recorded on the recording medium.

22. A reproduction apparatus comprising: a signal reading section for reading a signal recorded in tracks formed on a magnetic tape, the signal including a digital signal and an analog signal; a control signal reading section for reading, simultaneously with the reading of the signal, a control signal recorded on the magnetic tape and including information representing a time mode indicating a run speed of the magnetic tape; an unrecorded mode determination section for determining whether or not the signal is recorded on the magnetic tape based on the output of the control signal reading section, wherein the output indicates whether or not the control signal is detected; a first determination section for determining the time mode based on an output of the control signal reading section; a second determination section for determining whether the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal or an analog signal after the time mode is determined by the first determination section, wherein the magnetic tape is run in the time mode determined by said first determination section, and a digital/analog determination is made based on a reproduced signal from one pair of magnetic heads; and a phase control section for controlling the running of the tape so that the signal retains a first phase relationship with the control signal when the signal is a digital signal and that the signal retains a second phase relationship with the control signal when the signal is an analog signal, the second phase relationship being different from the first phase relationship, the phase control section controlling the running of the tape so that the first phase relationship is attained prior to the determination by the second determination section as to whether or not the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal, and that the second phase relationship is attained prior to the determination by the second determination section as to whether or not the signal read by the signal reading section is an analog signal.

23. A reproduction apparatus comprising: a signal reading section including a rotation cylinder having a magnetic head thereon for reading a signal recorded on a magnetic tape by scanning tracks obliquely formed on the magnetic tape, the signal including a digital signal and an analog signal; a tape run speed control section for controlling a run speed of the magnetic tape; and a reproduction mode determination section for outputting an instruction to the tape run speed control section for running the magnetic tape at a tape run speed different from predetermined tape run speeds used for reading the digital signal or the analog signal and determining whether the signal read by the signal reading section is a digital signal or an analog signal, after running the magnetic tape at the run speed different from predetermined tape run speed used for reading the digital signal or the analog signal.

24. A reproduction apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the instruction output from the reproduction mode determination section to the tape run speed control section is for running the magnetic tape at a speed twice as high as a highest one of the predetermined tape run speeds used for reading the digital signal.

25. A reproduction apparatus comprising: a signal reading section including a rotation cylinder having a magnetic head thereon for reading a signal recorded on a magnetic tape by scanning tracks obliquely formed on the magnetic tape, the signal including a digital signal and an analog signal; a tape run speed control section for controlling the magnetic tape to run or stop; and a reproduction mode determination section for outputting an instruction to the tape run speed control section for stopping the magnetic tape and determining whether the signal recorded on the magnetic tape is a digital signal or an analog signal based on the signal read by the signal reading section, after stopping the magnetic tape.